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G. E. MEJER.

ELECTRIC CLOCK. I i No. 364,429. Patented June 7, 1887'.

INVENTEIR G'usmF E M838;

' 9 vtww n PETERS PhutnLilhognphar. Washington. ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

eUsTAE-E. MEJER, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

EPECIPIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,429, dated. June '7, 1887.

Application filed September 9, 1886. Serial No. 28,087. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAF E. MEJER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Providence, county of Providence,and State of Ithode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a description thereof.

This invention consists in certain features of construction and arrangement, hereinafter described and claimed, whereby the continued motion or swing of the-pendulum of a clock in its proper are of vibration is secured by the operation of a weight, which at regular intervals is caused to act upon an inclined plane upon the pendulum, to increase its motion in are by an amount equal to that lost between the times of two successive operations or actions of said weight.

It also consists in combining with such fea tures of construction and arrangement an elec tric dial to indicate time, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in front elevation a pendulum and mechanism by which a continued motion of the pendulum in proper arc is secured, the weight for insuring such motion beingin a normal or non-acting position, and also a face view of an electric dial. Fig. 2 shows a side view of such pendulum and mechanism, and also a rear View of said dial. Fig. 3 represents a front View of said pendulum and mechanism,the weight being released preparatory to performing its office. Fig. 4 shows a front,view with the weight in the position it' assumes after performing its work. -Figs. 5 and 6 show, respectively, rear and side views of a portion of the pendulum-rod with the inclined plane placed on the back of such rod.

A is a frame, of any preferred form or style, for supporting the various parts.

B is the pendulum, which may be suspended in any preferred manner, as by a spring or springs, I), passing through a slotted stud, b, upon the frame, in the usual manner.

0 is the weight,'which at regular intervals is allowed to come into action to increase the swing of the pendulum by an amount equal to that lost between two successive operations of said weight.

As particularly shown in Fig. 2, the weight 0 is in the form of a rod or bar, which is pivoted near its rear end to a stud, upon the frame A, and this rod or bar may be provided, if desired, with an adjustable supplemental weight, 0, for increasingits force. The front end of this rod 0 is preferably furnished with a roller or disk, 0, Figs. 1, 3, and 4., which may be mounted to turn thereon.

l-he weight 0 is normally held in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by means hereinafter described; but at regular and predetermined intervals, aud preferablywhen the pendulum is near one of its extremities of movement, the weight is released, as hereinafter explained, so that its forward end may swing downwardly and its roller 0 come in contact with an inclined plane D upon the pendulum, and'thereby increase the amount of movement of the latter. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, this inclined plane is upon a bar, (1, which is secured to a frame, cl, formingaportion of the pendulum. After having acted upon the inclined plane D, and before the return of the pendulum, the weight 0 is raised to normal position, as hereinafter described, out of the path of movement of the said inclined plane, and is there held until it is again released to perform its office.

The weight 0 is retained in normal position by a hook, 0, Figs. 1, 3, and 4, secured to the armature E of an electric magnet, Fl, which hook engages a hook, 0, located on the weight 0, as shown in Fig. 1, the armature being held in the position represented in said figure by a spring, o One of the coils of the magnet E is electrically connected by a wire, f, to a gal. vanic battery, F, Figs. 1 and 2, and the other coil byawire,f, to a bell-crank arm, G,which is mounted upon a stud, G. A'wire, f ,'electrically connects the battery F with the pendulum B, so that at certain times the pendulum may close the circuit through the magnet Eand cause it to attract its armature E, thereby withdrawing the hook c from engagement with the hook c and releasing the weight 0.

The means by which the circuit is closed through the magnet E consist of the following mechanism: Mounted to revolve between two plates, B B, Fig. 2, which constitute a part of the upper portion of the pendulum, is a toothed wheel, H, which bears arms I I, projecting radially therefrom. As the pendulum swings toward the left hand, one of the teeth of the wheel H comes into contact with a pawl, J, Fig. 1, which is attached to a stud, K, projecting from the frame A. The pawl J is preferably made adjustable, bot-h vertically and longitudinally with relation to the wheel H, in order that the former may be easily arranged to act desirably upon the latter, and for this purpose it is composed, as shown in Fig. 1, of a part, j, pivoted or attached to a part, j, and made vertically adjustable with relation thereto by aserew, j",the part j passing through the stud K, and being threaded at its rearend,so thatitmay be movedlongitudinally and be held in place by nuts k 7. A latch, L, engaging the wheel H, is also employed to prevent any backward motion of the wheel. It will be readily seen that by a step-by-step revolution of the wheel II the arms I will be brought into position to engage the arm 9 of the bell-crank arm G, as shown in Fig. 3,when the pendulum, in one of its vibrations, swings toward the right, and that when such engagement is effected the electrical circuit from the battery F will be closed through the magnet E, and the weight 0 will be released, the current passing from the pendulum through the arm I and armG to the magnet E. Preferably the bellcrank arm G is mounted loosely on the stud G, and the arm 9 thereof is preferably a spring, in order that said arm may offer the least resistance possible to the movement of the pendulum when the arm 1 is engaged by the arm I on the wheel II. An adjustingscrew, G, is also preferably employed, so as conveniently to determine the desired location of the arm 9 with relation to the arm I. If desired, however, the arm g may be a spring secured to the stud G.

\Nhen the weight 0 is released, its forward end falls, and the roller c,whicl1 is of ivory or other insulating material, engages the bard, as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably the surface of this bar between the points (1 d is in the are of a circle, whose center is the fulcrum-point of the pendulum 13 upon the stud b, so that the bar will not be compelled to lift the weight during that part of the swing of the pendulum which immediately precedes the action of the weight upon the inclined plane D, as the bar would have to do were its top straight between the points d d. IVhen the pendulum swings toward the left, the roller 0 will engage the in clined plane D, passing down said plane to the position shown in Fig. 4:, and the force of the weight 0, as the roller passes down this inclined plane, will increase the swing of the pendulum by an amount equal to that lost during the time between two successive operations of the weight.

The weight having performed its office, it is to be raised before the return of the pendulum, and this is accomplished as follows: To the frame A is pivoted an arm, M, mounted upon a stud, M, and furnished with a downwardly-projecting finger, 977/. Normally, as shown in Fig. 1, this finger restsupon a teeth a, projecting upwardly from a plate, N. This plate is also pivoted to the frame, and is retained in normal position by a spring, a',which tends to keep a finger, N, on said plate in engagement with a stop, a The plateN is also provided with a finger, a", composed of ivory or other insulating material, which is preferably adj ustably secured to the plate. The weight or rod 0 has attached to it an arm, 0, projecting downwardly therefrom and provided with two pins, 0 o. The arm M is electrically connected with an electromagnet, 1, Fig. 2, by a wire, f", which is attached to the stud M, upon which the arm M is mounted, and said magnet is also connected by a wire, f, to the battery F. The weight or rod 0 is electrically connected by a wire, f, to the battery F, and at its rear end is provided with a plate, 1 which constitutes the armature ol' the'magnet I. During the descent of the weight G in performing its office the pin 0 comes into engagement with the finger a on the plate N, and swings said plate downwardly, as shown in Fig. 4-, thereby causing the tooth n to pass out from under the linger m,and allowing the arm M to drop into contact with the pin 0. l Vhen this contact is effected, the electrical circuit is closed through the magnet I, which attracts the armature I on the weight C and raises the outer end of the latter. Sometimes during the swinging of the pendulum toward the left hand, and after the weight 0 has been released,thc circuit through the magnet E is broken, and its armature E is moved by the spring (5 into normal position, so that when the weight 0 is raised by the action of the magnet I the hooks e 0 will engage, and the weight be thereby retained in its raised position. 'During the ascent of the weight 0 the arm M is raised by engagement with the upwardly-moving pin 0 on the arm 0, and at the time the hooks c 0 become engaged, the finger m comesinto contact with an inclined plane, a, on the tooth a, and the spring a, acting through said inclined plane, raises the lever M out of engagement with the pin 0, thereby breaking the circuit through the magnet P, and causes the teeth a to pass under the finger m, so as to retain the arm M in normal position, as shown in Fig. 1..

The length of time between two successive descents of the weight 0 will depend upon the beat of the pendulum, the number of the teeth in the wheel II, and the number of arms I on said wheel, as will be readily seen. It the pendulum beats seconds of time, and the wheel II have thirty teeth and two arms I, then the weight 0 will be dropped every thirty seconds, and it one arm I be used, then every sixty seconds. If the pendulum beats seconds and the wheel II have sixty teeth and two arms I, then the weight will be dropped every sixty seconds; but if it have but one arm I, then the weight will drop every two minutes.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that by the means employed the continued motion of the pendulum ISO IIO

B in proper are can be secured, the weight of the bar 0 being regulated to increase the swing of the pendulum as much as it has lost in move ment during the time between two successive descents of the weight.

For the purpose of indicating time, the pendulum B may operate any proper train of clock-works to move hands upon a dial; but I prefer to employ an electric dial, Q, of any suitable construction, a front view of such a dial being shown in Fig. l and a rear View. of the same in Fig. 2. The dial Qhas an electromagnet, It, Fig. 2, which is connected by a mm, a", to a battery, R, from which a wire, 1', runs to a spring, S, Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and by a wire, 1 to the plate N. The spring 8 is arranged with such relation to the finger N upon the plate N that when said plate is swung to the position shown in Fig. 4 the arm N will come into contact with said spring, and thereby complete the electric circuit through the magnet Q. In connection with said mag-- net an armature, Q, is employed, which bears a pawl, T. When the armature is drawn toward the magnet, this pawl partially rotates the ratchet-wheel U, and thereby moves the hands of the dial in a well-understood way.

Although I prefer to locate the inclined plane D in line with the pendulum-rod, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and at, yet said inclined plane may be elsewhere located-as, for instance, on a bar or plate, d, on the rear of the pendulum-rod, as-shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane thereon, substantially as described, of a weight or arm normally held out of the path of movement of said plane and adapted, as described, to be released and to engage said inclined plane and thereby increase the motion of the pendulum, substantially as set forth.

2, The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane thereon, substantially as described, ofa weight or arm for acting upon said plane, mechanism, substantially as described, for holding the said weight or arm out of the path of movement of said plane, and means, substantially as described, for releasing said weight or arm, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane thereon, substantially.

as described, of a weight or arm for acting upon said plane, means, substantially as described, for moving the said weight or arm ontof the swinging path of said plane, and mechanism, substantially as described, for retaining the weight or arm insuch removed po sition, substantially asset forth.

4. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane thereon, substantially as described, of a weight or arm for acting upon said plane, mechanism, substantially as described, for holding the said weight or arm out of the path of movement of said plane, means, substantially as described,for releasing the weight or arm that it may act upon said plane, and means, substantially as described, for moving the said weightor arm out of the swinging path of said plane, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined planethereon, substantially as described, and provided with a toothed wheel and an arm or arms, I, of a pawl for engaging and turning said wheel, a weight-or arm normally held out of the path of movement of said inclined plane and adapted, as described, to act upon said plane, mechanism, substantially as described, for holding said weight out of the path of movement of said plane, and means, substantially as described, for releasing the weight, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane, D, thereon, a toothed wheel, H, .and an arm or arms, I, of a weight or arm, 0, an electro-magnet having its armature furnished with means for retaining the weight out of the path of movement of said inclined plane, a contact-arm, g, and electrical connections between said contact-arm, electromagnet, and pendulum, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane, D, thereon, of a weight or arm, 0," furnished with pins 0 0', the arm M, the plate N, an electro-magnet, I, for raising said weight or arm, an electro-magnet having its armature provided with means for retaining said weight out of the path of movement of said inclined plane, as described, and electrical connections, as described, between the parts, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with a pendulum having a bar, d, provided with an inclined plane, D, and curved -fromd to d of a weight or arm normally held out of position to engage said plane, and adapted, as described, to be released to engage said plane, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. The combination, with a pendulum having an inclined plane thereon, substantially as described, of a weight or arm for acting upon said plane, mechanism, substantially as described, for holding the said weight or arm outof the path of movement of said plane, means, substantially as described, for releas ing the weight or arm that it may act upon said plane, means, substantially as described, for moving the said weight or arm out of the swingingpath of said plane, and an electric time dial operated, substantially as described, from the pendulum, substantially as set forth.

GUSTAF E. MEJER.

Witnesses:

Enson SALISBURY JONES, GEORGE M. CADY. 

